API Ohio: STOP misleading Ohioans on nuclear bailouts

COLUMBUS, Ohio – January 25, 2018 – Following proponent testimony offered today in the Senate Public Utilities Committee hearing on bailout legislation for nuclear plants, API Ohio called on FirstEnergy and its supporters to stop promoting a bailout of uncompetitive nuclear power plants by misleading Ohioans about the benefits that natural gas brings to consumers.

“Enough is enough,” said API Ohio Executive Director Chris Zeigler. “FirstEnergy is spreading misleading information to Ohioans about the benefits of natural gas in order to distract from the fact that they want Ohio families to bail out their corporation for bad business decisions. Hardworking Ohioans shouldn’t have to foot the bill for corporate failures and voters across the state reject the misguided, half-baked legislative efforts to bail out FirstEnergy.

“Natural gas is a clean, abundant, reliable, and affordable energy resource that has earned its share of the competitive energy markets – making our electricity generation portfolio as diverse as it’s ever been. With the tremendous increase in supply and expansions of pipeline capacity throughout the country, communities across the country are realizing the benefits of this flexible and reliable fuel. Our natural gas system is highly resilient and rarely significantly impacted by isolated or regional events. Moving forward, FirstEnergy should stop with its deceptive campaign against natural gas and Ohio legislators should reject this form of corporate welfare that could hurt consumers and our state’s economy.”

API Ohio is a division of API, which represents all segments of America’s oil and natural gas industry. Its more than 625 members include large integrated companies, as well as exploration and production, refining, marketing, pipeline, and marine businesses, and service and supply firms. They provide most of the nation’s energy and are backed by a growing grassroots movement of more than 40 million Americans.

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